Bishop quits as foreign minister

JULIE Bishop has resigned as foreign minister under new Prime Minister Scott Morrison, but will stay in parliament.

Ms Bishop issued a statement yesterday afternoon announcing her decision.

“Today I advised the Prime Minister that I will be resigning from my Cabinet position as Minister for Foreign Affairs,” she said.

“I will remain on the backbench as a strong voice for Western Australia. I have been pre-selected by the Liberal Party for the seat of Curtin and I have made no decision regarding the next election.”

Ms Bishop, 62, was deputy Liberal leader for more than a decade but she only received 11 votes in last Friday’s leadership ballot after Malcolm Turnbull called a spill.

The long-serving foreign minister returned to Perth on Saturday. She ran in the City to Surf fun run before issuing a statement announcing her decision. Mr Turnbull yesterday paid tribute to his deputy, thanking her for her loyalty and friendship.

“Today we have lost Australia’s finest Foreign Minister @JulieBishopMP,” he tweeted. “She has been and remains an inspiring role model for women here and around the world.”

Ms Bishop’s Labor counterpart Penny Wong paid tribute to her for her trailblazing role as the first Australian woman to be Foreign Affairs Minister.

“For five years she has dedicated her life to our nation with a tireless work ethic and exhausting travel schedule,” Senator Wong said in a statement.

“While Labor has at times been critical of the foreign policy directions under prime ministers Abbott and Turnbull, Ms Bishop’s commitment to standing up for Australia both here and abroad has never been in question.”

British High Commissioner to Australia Menna Rawlings she was sad to her of Ms Bishop’s resignation.

“She has been a gutsy, dynamic, representative of Australia. And a fantastic friend of GB (Great Britain),” she tweeted.

Education Minister Simon Birmingham earlier yesterday said Ms Bishop was “the most significant woman in the history of the Liberal Party” and deserved to make a decision about her future without external pressure.

“We would love to see Julie continue, but that really is up to Julie,” he told the ABC yesterday.

MP Melissa Price will be environment minister in the Morrison government, after serving as assistant minister in the portfolio in the Turnbull cabinet.

SHE HAS BEEN AND REMAINS AN INSPIRING ROLE MODEL FOR WOMEN HERE AND AROUND THE WORLD

MALCOLM TURNBULL